Your plans for this weekend.

The fun is back ! There will be so many things to celebrate and so many things to choose from this weekend, that I am not sure I can cover all the events that will take place this weekend in our state. Let’s not forget that this weekend is Father’s Day!

So,lets start with something closer to Home (sorry I call Seattle- home ) and its neighborhoods:

First things first: what celebration goes without a beer garden? None.Father’s Day without beer ? Every father’s nightmare.So, instead of treating your father to a beer or two,bring him to Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore to celebrate Washington Brewers Festival– The Mother of All Fathers Day Festivals. Nearly 200 beers on tap,
live music,festival food,brewers keg toss contest and more.

Beer ,hamburgers and classic cars. What else can your father ask for? Downtown Issaquah’s Front Street will be hopping with over 900 vintage and classic cars, street vendors, a swap meet and multiple live music stages. Trophies will be awarded at 2pm at the Triple-X Drive-in (one of the best burger joints in the state ) followed by a cruise down Front Street from Staples to Sunset and back to Triple-X.

You know why I love our state ? You don’t have to travel far to experience another culture.This Saturday, the Seattle Center invites you for a day of festivities and an evening of celebration. Celebrating 3rd Annual Seattle Iranian Festival with traditional Kurdish, Afghan and Persian folk dances, food,poetry readings and more. The Seattle Center offerS free admission to all the events.

Another Seattle neighborhood that is always fun to visit- Fremont.Its 38th Annual Fremont Fair returns to celebrate the Summer Solstice ( the summer solstice, which occurs around June 21, is the longest day of the year, up to 12 hours of sun ) and the best of the community.The Fremont Solstice Parade, I call, the trademark of the festival.This year, Foster Farms will join the celebration with their Imposters- two crazy out-of-state, freezer-burned, junk food-eating chickens,longtime stars of Foster Farms’ TV commercial.Foster Farms is in the midst of a full-scale education campaign aimed at informing West Coast consumers about “plumping”-the injecting of saltwater into fresh, raw chicken at a significant economic and health cost to consumers.Foster Farms participation in the fair will feature entertaining and interactive visuals throughout the day:
-Two 5′ + tall, fully feathered, “plumped” Foster Imposters at the fair.
-Full sized, junk-food strewn Plymouth Belvedere from the infamous Foster Imposter commercials will be available along with the larger-than-life Imposters for free souvenir photo opportunities throughout day.
And while Fremont Fair continues to emphasize good time, it also raises awareness and understanding of the needs of low-income people in the community.

Low-Income? You bet.

Two other communities, south of Seattle, celebrate the start of harvest season with sweet, fresh strawberries on and off the farmland.V2 Farm in Enumclaw invites you to experience the best of what the west has to offer. On June 20th come down to the farm to get your hands-on farming experience,eat fresh picked strawberries,create/fly a kite and play on the farm.Burien Strawberry and Arts Festival takes place at the Burien Community Center and Dottie Harper Park area is a mixture of art,food and sports.This event is fun for the whole family and especially for teens interested in skateboarding,jazz and hip-hop.

No argument that the Seattle Museum of Flight is one of our state’s main attractions.But when it comes to flight museums, it is not the only one in our state.The Olympic Flight Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and flying of vintage aircraft.This weekend ,the Museum is celebrating the Father’s Day with it’s 11th Annual Olympic Air Show.Boring, you say ? How about a 25 minute flight aboard one of WWII’s most versatile medium bombers.A rare flight opportunity not found elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest!

I’ve never heard about the town of Manchester before. But this Father’s Day I wish I was there.Manchester, Washington is a small, unincorporated community on the eastern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula, straight across the waters of Puget Sound from Seattle and Blake Island. They may not have a mayor or a city council, but they ,sure,know how to bake salmon.The Salmon Bake is a fundraising event for the Manchester Library, which is a vital part of the community.It’s sad, but true that events like the Salmon Bake are the library’s only source of funding for utilities, building maintenance and other major expenses.So, this weekend ,make a trip to this small but friendly community and help them support their library by buying a book, a book bag, a meal, a t-shirt, ice water, or a raffle ticket. And,ye, try that fresh, outdoor-wood-cooked salmon.

Above mentioned events are more of the cultural/fun tendency.I figured, we don’t want our fathers to celebrate their big day with 5K runs and 50 mile cycling loops.But I know I will..
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